Dumping-car



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. T.; COOPER.

DUMPING GAR.

Patented Mar. 31, 1891.

IIVVENTOI? WITNESSES:

C I W ATTORNEY.

(N Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. T. COOPER. DUMPING GAR.

No. 449,524. Patented Mar. 31, 1891.

\ I 4 .41 I I C I Qf ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lVILLIAM THOMAS COOPER, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

DUMPlNG-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,524, dated March 31, 1891. Application filed October 18, 1890. Serial No. 368,510. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM THOMAS Coor- ER, of Nashville,in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dumping-Oars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in dumping-cars.

The object of the invention is to provide an automatic dumping-car exceedingly cheap, simple, and durable in construction, composed of a minimum number of strong parts, and which will automatically dump its load and will automatically close its swinging bottom after dumping the load to be in readiness for the reception of another load. These objects are accomplished by and this invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective of a track and car thereon embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the car, the track or trestle being shown. Fig. 3 is an end view of the car, the track or trestle being shown' Fig. 4c is a detail perspective view of the trigger for upholding the bottom door or doors of the car. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of one of the swinging bottom doors, showing its journals and closing-arm. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the trip and its frame for operating the trigger to open the bottom door or doors. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the trip for closing the bottom doors and its frame.

In the drawings, the reference-letter a indicates the elevated track or trestle above the place where it is desired the cars traveling on said track shall dump their contents. The

cars l) are of any ordinary construction to hold the quantity of material desired, and their bottoms are composed of one or more vertically-swinging wings or doors 0.

(Two

are shown in the present instance.) Each door a is provided at one longitudinal edge with the end journals or gudgeons cl, strongly mounted in the car-frame, so that the door can swing up to close the bottom of the car or can swing down by reason of the weight of the material in the car to dump the same. Each door is held in its raised and closed position by suitable means, such as a swinging gravity (or other) trigger 6 near its upper end, pivoted at e to a cross-beam f on one side of the opening in the bottom of the car to allow the trigger to rock vertically. When the door is swung up, its free end strikes against the edge of theupper end of the trigger and pushes it back out of the way to allow the door to pass, and when the door has passed the trigger swings back under the edge of the door and holds the same raised. The lower end of the rod composing this trigger is extended down, and by reason of its weight normally holds the upper locking end of said trigger in position to uphold the bottom door. One journal (Z of each swinging bottom door is extended out through the side of the carframe and provided with a downwardly-extending crank-arm d, inclined rearwardly at a suitable angle.

Over the spot where the contents of the car are to be dumped suitable mechanism is located to operate the trigger to drop the bot tom door, such as a pivoted trip or dog g, located on the track. This dog is supported in a suitable frame h, centrally secured to a cross-tie or other support. The frame h has a pair of downwardly extending legs. (See Fig. 6.) The pivoted trip is provided with cross bars or heads g at its opposite ends and is pivoted at g within its length to said frame, so that its upper end will extend upwardly a suitable distance above the track and its lower end will be opposite said legs of the frame. This trip is arranged so that it can swing into a horizontal position when struck by an object moving in one direction on the track, but when struck by an obj eot moving in the op posite direction the lower crosspiece 9 will strike against said legs of the frame it and hold the trip rigid in the vertical position. Suitable mechanism is employed for closing the bottom doors, such as a similar tripping device 5, located on the outer side of the track; but it is provided with a flatnpper end or head j to engage the crank-arms (Z of the swinging bottom doors to close the same. This trip is arranged so that its upper end will swing in the opposite direction to the trip g.

Vhen a car has been loaded, it passes down the track to the dumping ground or spot, and upon arriving over the dumping-spot the upper end of the trip 9 engages the lower end of the trigger e and forces the lower end thereof rearwardly and the looking or door-supporting end thereof forwardly from beneath the swinging door. Thereupon the weight of the material on the door causes it to swing down, thereby dumping the contents of the car. If there are several doors, they are consecutively opened, as described. When the doors are open, the crank closing arms thereof are swung down and forwardly. As the car is started on the return-trip, the lower end of the trigger e strikes against the upper end of trip 9 and swings the same down into horizontal position to allow the trigger to pass the trip. The closing-arm of the open bottom door then engages the upper end j of the trip 1; on the outer side of the track. This causes said arm to swing back to incline toward the front end of the car, thereby swinging up the door, which is caught by the trigger c. When the trip iis engaged by the closing-arm when mov 'ing in the other direction, the trip is swung into its horizontal position and allows the arm to pass.

It is evident that various changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to confine myself to the precise construction herein set forth.

What I glaim is- 1. A dumping-car having the verticallyswinging bottom door pivoted at one transverse edge, the vertical trigger beneath the car, pivoted near its upper end to a beam thereof, with its lower end projecting below the car to engage a trip on the track to swing the trigger, the upper end of said trip being arranged to swing beneath the free edge of v the door and uphold the same, as set forth.

2. A dumping-car having a swinging bottom door and a pivoted trigger to hold the same closed and raised, said trigger swinging in a plane parallel with the direction of movement of the car, in combination with a vertical swinging trip on the track to engage and operate said trigger to release the door and allow the contents of the car to discharge.

3. A dumping-car having a swinging bottom door, a trigger to hold the door closed, and an arm connected with the door to close the same, in combination with mechanism, substantially as described,located beside the track, to operate said arm to close the door.

4. A dumping-car having a swinging bot tom door provided with lateral journals, a lateral closing-arm rigid with one of said jour nals, and a trigger to hold said door closed, substantially as described.

5. A dumping-car having a swinging trigger to hold its bottom door closed, in combination with a trip on the track to operate said trigger to release the door, said trip consisting of a swinging arm pivotally mounted on a frame secured to a support free to move in one direction and a stop to limit its movements in the other direction.

(5. In a dumping-car, the combination of the swinging bottom door provided with the lateral journals, one of the said journals being extended through the side of the car and bent laterally and downwardly at the exterior thereof to form a closing-arm, with a swing ing trigger to uphold said door, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a support, of a frame secured thereto having downwardlyextending legs and a bend at its upper end, and the vertical trip-arm pivotally mounted between its ends in said bend and provided with a head, so that its swing in one direction will be limited, as set forth.

8. The combination of a car having a swing ing bottom door, a swinging trigger to movably uphold the same, and a swinging trip on the track to engage and operate said trigger and a stop to limit the swing of said trip in one direction, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IVILLIAH THOMAS COOPER.

Witnesses:

H. F. COOPER, S. M. ALLEN. 

